Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) add a rich texture to the fabric of higher education in the United States. Their legacy is one of access and opportunity. Like every institution of higher learning, HBCUs must work continually to sustain quality. Always a test, that’s even more difficult in today’s economic climate. While in many ways the issues that HBCUs face mirror those of all universities, the unique HBCU mission adds an overlay of additional factors that must be considered. At times, presidents of HBCUs must feel like they’re walking a tight rope in a typhoon.

It’s become apparent most students have no clue about managing money and
planning their financial future. As a result, they’re making poor
choices, digging a deep hole of debt and facing the prospect of
bankruptcy. Lack of savvy about money can also affect admissions,
retention and the ability to contribute someday to an alma mater. The
consequences of a sub-prime knowledge base are huge, and can linger for a
lifetime.

AASCU has been in the forefront of the effort to craft a new GI Bill.
Funding for this legislation had become woefully inadequate, and
veterans benefits were no longer a priority. The Veterans Advisory
Committee on Education, the Congressionally-mandated Committee to advise
on the GI Bill, was challenged by members of the House Veterans Affairs
Committee to prove that there was strong public concern about the
meager benefits available to student veterans.

Today’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) face the
challenge of remaining true to their historic mission of providing
access to higher educational opportunity for African Americans and
simultaneously positioning themselves as resources which enjoy
broad-based support for their continued growth and vitality. HBCUs were
founded largely between 1837 and 1920, principally to provide
educational services to recently freed slaves and their progeny. Many of
these institutions began as grammar or primary schools and later
evolved into Normal schools preparing African American teachers to teach
African American students. Now a number of them serve as comprehensive
universities that offer a broad range of baccalaureate, master’s degree
and some doctoral programs to diverse student populations. Except for a
handful of them, these institutions are located south of the Mason Dixon
Line.